


Justice or Vengeance?

by dark_pookha



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: HPFT, Other, Post-Battle of Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 15:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7469355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dark_pookha/pseuds/dark_pookha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reactions to the Malfoys presence in the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Justice or Vengeance?

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for HPFF_United collaboration on HPFF. Luna's line in the first sentence is from chapter 36 of 'The Deathly Hallows'.

“Oooh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!” Luna shouted, pointing out the window. Everywhere, heads turned and looked. She felt Harry slide off the bench next to her. She reached out and touched the spot where he had been sitting, feeling the warmth slowly fading in the early morning light. She watched Neville as he ate; a group of admirers clustered around him hanging on his every word. She turned her attention to Draco, where he sat close by his parents, both looking around nervously at the celebrants. Draco kept his head down and didn’t speak, even when it was obvious that his parents were talking to him.  
  
An elderly house-elf put a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Draco and he picked at it, moving it around with his fork, but not eating anything. His father ate heartily, his voice carrying in bits and pieces, “Knew he’d…Dark Lord…the Potter boy.” Luna knew from the angry muttering growing louder behind her that she wasn’t the only one who heard him. She turned on her bench and looked behind her at a group of students. Ernie MacMillan was whispering to Romilda Vane and a fifth-year Hufflepuff whose name Luna couldn’t recall.  
  
Spying Professor McGonagall sitting in the corner near Hagrid as he tended to Firenze’s injuries, Luna started wending her way through the crowded room. As she walked near Neville, he waved her over, but instead she flipped her hair over her shoulder in a way that he had learned meant ‘follow me’ when they had crept silently through the halls on missions for the D.A. He separated himself from the well-wishers and followed Luna.  
  
As he caught up with her, she took his hand and they walked together to Professor McGonagall.  
  
Firenze lay motionless in the corner, his breathing deep and regular as Hagrid tended to a long gash on his left flank.  
  
“Are you sure he’ll be okay?” asked Professor McGonagall.  
  
“Right as rain, Minerva.” Hagrid smeared some foul-smelling goop on Firenze’s wound, which began smoking. It sealed up as a fine tremble passed down his flank.  
  
Luna tapped Professor McGonagall on the shoulder, causing her to spin, her wand leaping automatically to her hand. When she saw it was Luna and Neville, she pulled them both to her. Luna returned the embrace emphatically while Neville stood straight and awkward until Professor McGonagall released them.  
  
“Yes, Ms. Lovegood?” she asked.  
  
“I think there’s going to be trouble,” Luna replied, flicking her eyes at the group of students who had been gathering behind her. In just the few minutes it took her to walk across the Great Hall to Professor McGonagall, the group had more than tripled. As Professor McGonagall watched, Romilda Vane pulled out her wand and began to point it at Draco, but Ernie MacMillan quickly pushed her arm down and looked around furtively.  
  
“We can’t let them start a fight, or it’ll be a riot,” Luna said calmly, her voice not betraying her concern.  
  
Professor McGonagall nodded grimly. “Yes, I see what you mean. Follow me.” She swept off toward the Malfoys.  
  
Just as she started moving, the group of students rose and began moving toward the Malfoys. They gathered more people from the surrounding tables. Professor McGonagall noticed and quickened her pace, but was slowed by the throng of people in her way. The mob would reach the Malfoys first. They pulled their wands when they got near.  
  
Narcissa turned her head to look at something and noticed the menacing group approaching, wands out. She shouted something that Draco and Lucius obviously heard, for they whipped around, their wands in their hands. Professor McGonagall hurried even more, Luna and Neville following in her wake.  
  
Silence fell as people began noticing the brewing fight.  
  
Ernie broke the silence. “You don’t deserve to be sitting here.” He indicated the Malfoys. He lifted his wand, pointing it directly at Lucius. “You should be dead in there instead of Fred or Professor Lupin.”  
  
Lucius lowered his wand. “Then kill me if you think you can.”  
  
Ernie’s hand shook, he raised his wand even higher as he steeled himself. He opened his mouth, and then closed it. His hand began to shake even more before he lowered it again. Romilda stepped forward, shoved him aside and shouted, “Avada Ked—” She gripped her throat as Professor McGonagall’s unspoken hex hit her.  
  
“No!” Professor McGonagall shouted. “There will be no more killing today!”  
  
She strode into the fray, standing tall between the mob and the Malfoys. Luna and Neville flanked her.  
  
Romilda regained her voice. She pointed at Lucius. “He’s a Death Eater. Harry told us that he was there when V—V—Voldemort was reborn.” She turned to Luna. “You told me that he fought you in the Department of Mysteries.”  
  
Luna stepped forward and spoke. “He did. He’s a Death Eater and he deserves to be punished, but not by us.” She pointed at Ernie. “You couldn’t kill him. Ernie, you know this isn’t right. Let the Aurors arrest him, but you can’t just kill him in cold blood.”  
  
Romilda stepped forward angrily, brandishing her wand again. “He may not be able to, but I can.”  
  
Neville took a large step forward until the tip of Romilda’s wand rested against his stomach. “Can you kill me, too?” He leaned forward until Romilda was forced to take a step back. “You’ll have to get through me to get to them.”  
  
Tears sprang to Romilda’s eyes. “Get out of my way, Neville. Don’t make me hurt you!”  
  
Neville reached out and put his hand on Romilda’s wand. Her shoulders tensed and then relaxed. Her wand fell out of her fingers. Neville reached down and took it.  
  
He turned to the Malfoys. They huddled together, their wands out and pointed at the ground, but clearly ready to defend themselves if needed. Neville addressed Lucius. “Lucius Malfoy, I accuse you of being a Death Eater. Will you surrender yourself?”  
  
Lucius’ shrewd eyes appraised the crowd. He nodded to his wife. They both held out their wands for Luna to take. Draco looked at both his parents before he, too, lowered his wand for Luna to take.  
  
A voice shouted from deep in the crowd, “He’ll just buy his way out!” A chorus of supporting shouts followed.  
  
“They’re Death Eaters! Kill them!”  
  
“Give them the Dementor’s Kiss!”  
  
Professor McGonagall met the eyes of one of the shouters. “Ms. Bell, do you think that we should execute people? Is capital punishment now allowed?” She turned slightly. “Mr. Corner, do you want to be a murderer yourself?”  
  
Another voice shouted from the mob, “We want justice!”  
  
Luna spoke, her quiet voice easily carrying over the whole hall. “Do you really want justice or do you just want vengeance? All vengeance spawns is more vengeance as one killing becomes hundreds, or thousands. It’s right to fight for what you believe, but not when it becomes zealotry.”  
  
Professor McGonagall put her free arm around Luna. “Luna’s right. It’s time to stop the cycle of violence now.”  
  
Ernie raised his strained face to Professor McGonagall. “You’ll make sure he goes to trial?”  
  
Kingsley Shacklebolt strode through the crowd, three Aurors following behind. The students melted away from his smoldering intensity. “I guarantee that they’ll go to trial. And, I guarantee that they’ll be treated fairly. There will be no kangaroo courts or set-piece trials here.” He turned to the Malfoys. “Nor will there be any buying your way out of it. If you’re found guilty, you will be punished.”  
  
Lucius nodded that he understood as the Aurors took each of the Malfoys and took them out of the Great Hall.  
  
The angry mob slowly dissipated.  
  
For the second time that morning, Professor McGonagall embraced Luna and Neville. “I’m proud of both of you.”  
  
“Right is right, Professor,” Luna said, taking Neville’s hand. They joined the remaining members of the D.A. as they filtered back to a table together.  
  



End file.
